The Presidents Trade Promotion Authority expires at the end of June. What effect will this have on Taiwans plans to pursue an FTA with the U.S.?
Other governments generally will only negotiate trade agreements with the United States if they can be sure that the agreement they have negotiated will not be changed when it reaches Congress for approval. The importance of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is that it provides for a yes-or-no vote on trade agreements in Congress, without amendments and within certain timeframes. Taiwan has won considerable support from the U.S. Congress for negotiating a bilateral FTA agreement. We would prefer to proceed with the FTA negotiations once TPA is again in place, which we hope will happen soon. In the meantime, we will continue our efforts to promote negotiation of the U.S.-Taiwan FTA with the private sector, Members of Congress, and important decision makers in the U.S…….
